Electrochemical Fingerprints of Nanostructured Cu and Ag Electrodes

Copper and silver electrodes, particularly in their crystalline and nanostructured forms, play a pivotal role in a wide range of electrochemical applications, including catalysis, sensing, and energy conversion. The electrochemical behavior of these materials, dictated by their crystallographic surface structures, has unique features and represents a key to understanding and optimizing their performance and expanding their applications. This review focuses on recent achievements about the electrochemical fingerprints of crystalline Cu and Ag electrodes, with particular attention to their nanostructured forms, and explores how surface-specific activities such as underpotential deposition (UPD), hydroxide electrosorption, and redox behavior vary across different surface orientations. The impact of crystal facet orientation on electrochemical performance is discussed, highlighting how variations in surface atomic configurations affect adsorption phenomena and, ultimately, catalytic selectivity. Understanding these structure−activity relationships is crucial for the design, synthesis, and characterization of innovative Cu and Ag nanostructures, with the aim of addressing the current challenges in renewable energy development.